These two teams should be banned from playing games against each other. Fortunately, they rarely hook up. However, rarely should be reduced to never, ever, because they historically produce some of the biggest snoozers.

Good to see Steven Stamkos with a pair of helpers to continue his robust late season charge. He's now over a point a game in his last 17 contests.

The Lightning are playing themselves out of the opportunity to draft John Tavares or Victor Hedman. It brings up some interesting philosophical debates if they pick third or fourth? Take big Jared Cowen, who is a man child but is rehabbing a knee? Take the speedy Matt Duchene or Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson? Or sacrifice some burst for grit and character with Evander Kane? This is where I'm glad I'm not a scout whose livelihood depends on making the right choice. One or two in this draft is easy. Three or four is several sleepless nights and several heartfelt conversations pleading with the deity of your choosing.

Matt Smaby had 1 shot, 3 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 23:56. That's the line I'd like to see with Matt. He would've been +1 were it not for a bad bounce off of him and in for Columbus' lone goal. Team leading IT for big 32.

David Koci had 2 penalty minutes and 1 hit in 8:07, as a winger, where he needs to be.

Martins Karsums had 2 shots, 1 hit, and 1 blocked shot in 15:23. He's drawn a good card playing with Lecavalier and Prospal at even strength, but he's done squat with it so far.

Matt Lashoff had yet another power play assist, 1 hit, and 1 blocked shot in 23:49. The Lashoff trade continues to pay off like the loosest slot machines on the Vegas Strip. The hand wringing about the Lightning having to turn the power play over from Murphy to Lashoff a week ago is a distant, somewhat laughable memory.

The Lightning pull out a critical win in the Tavares/Hedman sweepstakes.

ATL-4
TB-3 (SO)

Karri Ramo allowed 3 goals on 36 shots before allowing 1 of 2 shooters to convert for the shootout loss. Since the Lightning's drubbing against Carolina, Ramo has rebounded (perhaps a bad choice of words in Karri's case) to go 2-0-3. He's got a nice .919 save percentage over that span, too, by my count. Rebound control remains an issue, but he's making the first saves, which is critical. He could save the Lightning a small fortune by proving he can be Smitty's backup with continued good performances down the stretch.

The Lightning managed to crawl back into this game after laying down in the First Period the same way they laid down in the Third Period against the Caps. They're fortunate the Thrashers stink in that regard and let them get back to even.

Steven Stamkos continues his steady march to 20 goals as he racked up his 17th and 18th tonight. Keep shooting, young man. It's hard to believe he only had 6 goals at the end of the month of January. In his last 16 games, Stamkos has 11 goals and 16 points. That pro-rates to a 56 goal, 82 point campaign over 82 games. That's not to say he'll stay this hot for a full year next season. But, to me, with an entire offseason to train and build his body and the work ethic he's already displayed, I would not be shocked at all to see him pot 40 goals and 80-90 points next year. I think the league was lulled into a false sense of security about Stamkos when he didn't come out of the hockey womb a preformed point-a-game player and when Barry Melrose decided to chuck #91 under the bus after he was fired. Hopefully Stamkos' amazing late season productivity continues to fly under the radar and sets him up to storm the league early next season. I suspect I'll almost feel pity for teams who have to choose between dying by Stammer or Vincent Lecavalier's hand next year with the two playing on opposite scoring lines. Almost.

Have the Lightning actually won a game in the third jerseys, by the way? If someone knows the team's record with them on, by all means post it. I suspect it's almost terrible enough to warrant burning the new threads.

Matt Smaby was +1 with 1 shot, 2 hits, and 3 blocked shots in 24:37. This was a good rebound game after going -4 against Washington.

Richard Petiot was -1 with 6 penalty minutes, 1 shot, 4 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 23:11. He was awful in the first period as Atlanta took advantage of his slow feet. To his credit, he got it back together in the final 40 minutes. I like him as a #8 or #9 d-man who can come up from Norfolk if there's an injury.

Matt Lashoff had 1 assist and 2 penalty minutes and was -1 with 2 shots and 1 blocked shot in 28:18, which led the team in ice time. 3 games in a Lightning jersey: 3 power play assists. You can't complain about that kind of production. He deals a good pass for a one-timer, which can get a defenseman paid on a power play that features shooters like Stamkos, Lecavalier, and Martin St. Louis. His skating allows him to potentially eat big minutes like he did tonight, too. Darren Eliot claimed tonight that his skating had somehow been "exposed." It's a shame that someone swapped out his Thrashers flavored Kool-Aid for bad moonshine. Here's to hoping his eyesight returns to him soon.

10 more games to go. We'll see if Blair Jones and/or Justin Keller get late season recalls. I would advise it with these two players having their contracts up this offseason.

For some inexplicable reason, the Lightning decided to do a drive by for the third period.

WSH-5
TB-2

Mike McKenna allowed 5 goals on 30 shots for the loss. He probably would've like to have had Washington's second goal back, and Washington's last goal came off a bad rebound. But the Lightning completely laid down in front of him in the third period, so it's not like McKenna is the one who takes the blame.

The Lightning's streak of getting points in games ends at four. It might be for the best considering the team was about to play itself out of the #2 draft slot. Still, I just don't get it. They played 40 minutes of hockey showing they could go toe-to-toe with one of the most talented teams in the league, and it's like they got on the bus early at the second intermission.

Martins Karsums was -1 with 1 shot and 3 hits in 13:24. The chemistry he had on a line with Szczechura and Pettinger was fleeting, apparently. He's just not very good right now either.

Richard Petiot was +1 with 1 shot and 1 hit in 21:58. He was one of only two players with a plus rating. He made some mistakes, but they didn't end up in his net.

Matt Lashoff had 2 assists and was +2 with 2 shots and 1 hit in 22:30. If you're looking for the silver lining from this game, it's Lashoff. When he came over from Boston, from what I had seen in his younger days playing in Providence, I figured he'd be a good two-way #5 d-man who could get you 25 points a season. Seeing him in extended minutes through two games, he looks like he very much might be the equal of Paul Ranger and Andrej Meszaros in terms of his skill and athleticism. Those are two players who should be 40 point a year d-men when healthy. The key is going to be whether these coaches can get Lashoff to pay attention to his own zone and to take the body consistently. They've already pulled that feat off with Meszaros, so there's reason for optimism on that front. You can see the talent, though. Damian Crisdotero did some Chicken Littling about Cory Murphy breaking his foot and Lashoff having to assume his minutes. Matt sure did answer the bell tonight.

Bio

Smaby broke onto the hockey scene with two years of hockey at prep school powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary's as a teammate of Penguins phenom Sidney Crosby and Buffalo Sabres first round pick Drew Stafford. Smaby also played basketball with Shattuck and prior to his years there was a two sport star at Minneapolis Southwest High School. In 61 games with Shattuck he had 21 points despite playing much of his final season there in a cast with a broken wrist. Long committed to North Dakota University, Smaby opted into the 2003 Entry Draft and was taken by the Lightning early in the second round. Smaby was +20 as a freshman at North Dakota in 39 games with 1 goal and 7 points. In 44 games as a sophomore Smaby's offensive output dropped to 3 points but he came on late in the season as the Fighting Sioux advanced to the NCAA championship game before losing to Denver. Smaby returned to North Dakota this year to play his junior season and lead a young blueline as the only regular upperclassman defenseman on the team. He was named team captain for the 2005-2006 season and led the Fighting Sioux to victory in the WCHA tournament, earning All Tournament Team honors, before helping lead North Dakota to the national semifinal game of the NCAA tournament. He was also named to the WCHA's All-Academic Team and Third Team All WCHA.

Smaby began his rookie year of professional hockey with Springfield of the AHL where he spent most of the season on the team's second pairing. In 66 games with the Falcons, Smaby scored 2 goals and 16 points with 43 penalty minutes and a -24 rating. Smaby was recalled to Tampa late in the season but did not suit up in any regular season games for the Lightning. Smaby made the Lightning out of camp in 2007-2008 appearing in his first NHL game on October 4, 2007 against the New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, Smaby was unable to hold onto the Lightning's sixth defenseman job and he was sent to Norfolk of the AHL after seeing just four games of action. With the Admirals, Smaby posted 1 goal and 6 points in 58 games with a -1 rating and 66 penalty minutes before being recalled to the Lightning late in the season. In the NHL, Smaby played a total of 14 games with a -6 rating and 12 penalty minutes.

Scouting Report

Strengths:

Smaby is big and mobile for a man his size. When on his game, he's a fierce hitter who plays a simple, effective stay at home style game. He possesses a good, but underutilized, slap shot. Has a long reach and an active stick.

Weaknesses:

Smaby isn't a natural puckmover and still needs to work at making a good first pass out of the zone. He showed some inconsistency in the physical game as an underclassman but has since settled down. He's not a poor skater, but he lacks recovery speed if he misses on a check.

Projection:

Smaby is the kind of big, physical defenseman who isn't flashy but is essential to any hockey team looking to survive the rigors of NHL playoff hockey. His mobility should help him play a good amount of minutes in the pros and he will be a strong contributor on the penalty kill. He'll never make all-star teams for his offensive contributions, but the Lightning believe he could be a number four or number five defenseman with a long and successful NHL career. Think Jassen Cullimore, with a mean streak

Karri Ramo allowed 3 goals on 39 shots before allowing 2 of 6 shooters to convert for the shootout loss. He looked really good for the first 39:36 of the game. He was moving well. Following the puck. Then he overplayed on Jason Blake to allow the first goal and his fundamentals started to come unglued. His rebound control went straight to hell. His five-hole got big enough to drive a truck through. I give him credit for battling his way to get the point and he was game in the shootout, but that's a game Karri's got to help his team close out. Fundamentals. Fundamentals. Fundamentals. On the good side, he's claimed 6 of the last 8 available points.

Matt Lashoff was -1 with 1 shot, 1 hit, and 1 blocked shot in 22:58. You can see why he was a guy the Lightning were willing to give considerably to get. His skating is smooth as silk, and he's got some skill. Between Lashoff, Ranger, and Meszaros the Lightning will have a ridiculously mobile defense next season. The downside with Lashoff? Tocchet needs to get him to take the body more in the defensive zone. If he can get that out of Lashoff, he's a top-four in this league. Even if he doesn't, he's a real nice number five d-man in the making; a great piece to add to the puzzle.

A quick update for anyone interested in upcoming prospect graduations...

Karri Ramo needs just 6 more decisions to graduate from prospect status according to our site's criteria.

Matt Smaby needs just 11 more games this season to graduate.

Noah Welch needs just 13 more games this season to graduate.

The Lightning have exactly 13 games remaining on their schedule. Bolt Prospects will issue its Final Rankings for the 2008-2009 season following the conclusion of all prospects' playoff seasons, and with prospects like Dustin Tokarski, James Wright, and Luca Cunti possibly poised to make some deep runs, it may be a while. Expect significant changes at the top of the list, though, with two of the only four prospects ever to hold the #1 spot (Stamkos and Downie being the other two) on our rankings likely to graduate by year's end. And then there's the playoffs...

Karri Ramo allowed just 1 goal on 21 shots for the win, playing both ends of the back-to-back. Getting 3 points out of 4 in a back-to-back situation is another big step for a guy trying to win a job in Tampa next season.

So, this team has some pride after all? Or, at the very least, some fear of Rick Tocchet?

TB-2
OTT-3 (OT)

Karri Ramo allowed 3 goals on 27 shots for the overtime loss. More good than bad. He made THE save all alone with an Ottawa shooter late in the third period to get the Lightning into the OT session, but he's still struggling with his rebound control, which cost the team the winning goal. I don't think anyone blamed him or McKenna for the debacle against McKenna, but it was definitely something worth monitoring going into this game. How would Ramo respond? And, he didn't respond badly.

Paul Szczechura had 1 shot and 4 hits in 11:40. He made some dumb plays coming through the neutral zone, which is uncustomary for such a smart player.

Martins Karsums had 1 shot, 3 hits, and 2 blocked shots in 11:06. The guy is just less than the sum of his parts right now.

Richard Petiot had 2 penalty minutes, 3 shots, 1 hit, and 2 blocked shots in 18:13. He looks a step slow for the NHL level, but he's fairly servicable positionally and he looks like he competes. He may be a good spare part to keep around as a #8 type guy down in the minors.

Mike McKenna allowed 3 goals on 7 shots before being pulled for Karri Ramo. Ramo was then the beneficiary of some of the worst defense in the NHL and allowed 6 goals on 22 shots (and took the back door loss to boot) before being pulled at the end of the Second Period. McKenna stopped all 8 shots he faced the rest of the way. Honestly, there was only 1 questionable goal in the lot (by Ramo, on a shot that deflected off Stamkos' stick and through his five hole). Other than that, all of the other eight goals were quality goals that were either odd man rushes or terrible defensive zone breakdowns.

Here's an FYI to Len Barrie and Oren Koules: Lightning Nation is pissed off. They're more than a bit peeved by the fact that they have to watch a defense comprised of two cast offs who couldn't even get regular ice time for the Florida Panthers, a cast off who couldn't even get out of the minors for the Carolina Hurricanes, a goon who shouldn't even be playing defense in the NHL, Charminy soft Lukas Krajicek, and Matt Smaby, who is the one guy in the bunch who doesn't deserve to be shot, stuffed, and mounted on the wall at the Bear Mountain Resort. This defense is a disgrace, and it's patently obvious that the season is being tanked from the blueline out. When the lone silver lining is, "Oh, well we picked up two points on the Isles in the Tavares/Hedman derby," that's just not acceptable. Honest to goodness, if you're going to ice a corps that bad, why not just call up Vladimir Mihalik and Ty Wishart? I'd rather give minutes to the kids than a has-been and some never-will-bes.

Noah Welch was -2 with 1 shot, 1 hit, and 2 blocked shots in an obscene 27:22 of ice time tonight. He and Cory Murphy's first period should be a warning to pregnant women of what happens if you drink while you're carrying your child. How does a guy who couldn't even get in the lineup for Florida end up here playing 27:22 two games later? I can't figure out if this movie is a comedy or a tragedy, boys and girls.

Smaby was +1 with 2 shots, 3 hits, and 2 blocked shots in 16:49. I'm kind of surprised that his ice time was so low because he was very visible in the physical game. That said, even he made his fair share of mildly stupid plays tonight.

David Koci was -2 with 4 penalty minutes and 1 hit in 11:59. If David Koci is an NHL defenseman then I'm an international playboy.

Paul Szczechura had an assist and 2 penalty minutes with 3 shots, 3 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 11:30. I haven't really been impressed with Paul since he came back from his injury, but he showed flashes again tonight, especially in garbage time in the third period.

Martins Karsums was -1 with 1 shot and 1 blocked shot in 11:27. Chad made the point on the message boards that, athletically, he's reminiscent of Ruslan Fedotenko. That's true, but unlike Fedotenko, Karsums is terrible along the wall. I don't think it's lack of want to and he seems sturdy on his skates. He just seems clueless about his body position. Oh, and he made a nice fat turnover that ended up in the back of the net on Anton Babchuk's goal. From Latvia to Russia with love.

Matt Smaby was -1 with 1 shot, 5 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 23:23. He took a skate to the cheek and hardly missed a shift. You can make a very strong case that he's been the team's best d-man over the last month.

Martins Karsums was -1 with 2 shots, 2 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 10:59. You can see the attraction from the Lightning's end: he's a good skater with decent burst and feisty for an average sized player.

Brandon Segal had 2 shots and 3 hits in 12:50. He had some good moments tonight on the forecheck but shanked a rebound off a Karsums shot that should've been his first NHL goal.